Beauty multi-taskers are the future, because let's face it - who wants to apply five different products when a single cream has the same benefits and more.

CC creams differ from BBs mainly in the amount of colour pigment they contain.

CC stands for 'colour' and 'correct'. Both creams are credited with priming, hydrating, protecting and perfecting your skin. But whereas BBs provide a natural, sheer coverage, CCs are there to help address specific skin tone issues such as redness and sallowness, and many also provide anti-aging benefits.

Think of the CC customer as the BB-buyer's older sister. She's interested in a timesaving product that promises a perfect complexion. But she's more realistic about the amount of coverage she's going to need in order to achieve it. She's also pleased to know that many CCs include higher concentrations of anti-ageing ingredients, such as vitamin C, designed to fade pigmentation.

A big benefit of both CCs and BBs is that they contain sun protection. But that can also be a negative.

"Because they are tinted, you don't tend to use as much traditional sunscreen as you should," says cosmetic physician Dr Teresa Cattin, who has her own skincare range, Faceworks.

"This can fool you into thinking you are adequately protected when you're not. Using a BB or CC cream is better than nothing but, like sunblock, you would have to slather it on if you were going to be exposed to the sun for any length of time."

Dr Cattin doesn't recommend skimping on sunblock - ever. "It's the very best defence against premature ageing," she says.

BB, and now CC, creams are extremely popular, so much so that they are picked to completely replace traditional tinted moisturiser.

They offer instant results, as well as longer-term anti-aging ones, and their benefits are quickly making them a makeup bag staple.

At the moment, however, only a few brands offer a selection of shades, while foundations come in dozens.

If you are young, time-strapped or prefer a very natural-looking coverage, a BB/CC cream will be perfect.

If full coverage is important, you might be better sticking with sunscreen, moisturiser and a good base.